Apparatus and method for housing electronic equipment and increasing floor space utilization in a secure environment

ABSTRACT

A secure electronic equipment rack with horizontal side panels on which components are mounted vertically. The side panels of the rack are shorter than the depth of components to be mounted, thus allowing space to be saved. The rack can include tamper resistance by adding baffling of ventilation areas, for example in both top and bottom vent patterns, and can be designed to be assembled in an overlapping fashion which allows no exposed hardware with the last piece to be assembled being the first to be removed in sequence.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

Priority is claimed to Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/926,384 filedon Apr. 26, 2007 entitled Apparatus and Method for Housing ElectronicEquipment for High Density which is incorporated herein by reference inits entirety as if fully set forth herein.

This application is related to Application Ser. No. 12/109,212 entitledApparatus and Method for Housing Electronic Equipment and IncreasingFloor Space Utilization in a

Secure Environment, filed on Apr. 24, 2008 and owned by the commonassignee.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosed subject matter relates generally to a rack for allowingcomputer equipment to be mounted vertically to save floor space.

BACKGROUND

The computer industry focuses on manufacturing modular components withuniform widths and incremental heights, expressed as a “U” height where1 U equals 1.75 inches. This invariably results in standard depthcabinets. Thus, each U space is an industry standard 1.75 inches—6 Udepth would be 14 inches, 8 U depth would be 17.5 inches, 10 U depthwould be 21 inches, and so on. Standard cabinets usually mountcomponents horizontally and have from 25 to 34 inches in allowablecomponent depth, with overall cabinet depths as much as 40 inches. The Uheight faces the front of a cabinet, and 40 U to 42 U are available instandard cabinets. In larger “Data Center” applications, these cabinetscan house dozens to hundreds of U spaces in equipment. Because thesecabinets mount modular components horizontally, they waste a lot ofspace.

SUMMARY

Disclosed is a rack for safely securing industry standard rack mountedelectronic equipment of all types and system configurations in anon-typical manner, in this case, vertically versus horizontally,allowing substantial savings in required floor space when compared toother equipment cabinets. Our rack can be used in any application and isparticularly suited for small and mid-sized companies that need only 4 Uto 10 U in equipment storage and typically do not have a dedicated roomor closet for such equipment. However, our rack can provide more U spaceas required.

Standard full size, horizontal mount, cabinets need access to front andback doors and often side panels, thus increasing actual floor spacerequirements even more. To meet space requirements our novel equipmentrack allows rack mount form factored equipment to be mounted vertically,instead of horizontally, as a system in a secured environment and allowsup to 400 pounds of rack mount form factored equipment to be mounted.Our rack has interchangeable 4 U, 6 U and 8 U bracket sets, bottomvented panel or bottom fan tray, top lockable cover, and utilizes acommon back plate, or base, with a front panel that includes a built-inlevel for ease of mounting. The rack has an effective working depth of26 inches for the use of all rack mount form factored equipment, withoutrestriction as to equipment function. Examples include, withoutlimitation, fiber optic nodes, phone systems, broadband hubs, powerconditioning, power backup, power distribution and data networking. Thisworking depth is the vertical dimension in our application and can beexpanded based on the user's equipment growth. The apparatus can bemounted on any solid surface such as a wall or a relay rack, for examplea two-post rack, and is easily installed by a single technician. Therack can be implemented in a commercial version or a secure version.

Commercial Version of Rack

In one implementation, our rack allows 4 U of vertically mounted rackmount form factored equipment to be mounted in an apparatus with a totaldepth from wall of only 11 inches. In addition, the apparatus includesan additional 2 U of patch panel space available integrated in the mainback plate, or base. The rack can also include an integrated commonearth grounding stud on the base for safety.

Our rack allows the use of all rack mount form factored equipment to beoptimized in restricted access as well as space applications. This isdone by an equipment frame substantially improving the use of all rackmountable equipment optimized in restricted space applications.

Our rack further allows the use of interchangeable support arms in 4 Uto 10 U, or other suitable dimension) increments that allow forexpansion without full replacement of rack mount form factored systemsand can be mounted on any solid flat vertical surface and industrystandard 19 inch relay racks, e.g., two-post racks. Solid flat surfacesour rack can be mounted on include, but are not limited to, walls suchas poured concrete, concrete block, brick and gypsum with wood studs 16inches on center. An integrated standard mounting pattern for 1 U or 2 UCAT5 e patch panels further increases installation efficiency and spaceutilization of our system. When used with integrated cable managementbridge lances to dress and tie down both power and data cabling, thisfurther increases installation efficiency and space utilization ofcabinet systems.

Our rack also allows data and power cabling access from top, bottom orback. Further, the back panel allows feed through of data cabling andairflow.

When our rack is used as taught herein, rack mount form factoredequipment can be optimized in restricted space applications withtwo-post mounting configured “back to back”. In this configurationtwo-post racks can be used. As one example, the two-post rack can becomprised of extruded aluminum with threaded holes on both front andback faces, materials other than aluminum can be used. The rack canmount through this hole pattern and can be set flush to the mountingsurface for back-to back installation for increased component density.

Another feature of our rack is threaded holes (2 per side in oneembodiment) in the back plate to allow retainer screws to be installedthrough the brackets to keep the brackets from dislodging duringequipment installation, service or by accidental impacts.

Secure Version of Rack

Our rack can also be made in one or more secure versions forinstallation in places like prison facilities and can have extra levelsof tamper resistance that make the rack very difficult to damage, openby picking or prying, disable, sabotage, and other activities thatintended to prevent internal equipment from operating. Thisdifferentiates a secure version from a commercial version.

For example, while a commercial version of the rack could have louversor a venting hole pattern on the top part of the base, and/or the sidesor the top cover, for convection cooling, a secure version can includetamper resistance by adding baffling of ventilation areas, for examplein both top and bottom vent patterns.

As another example, while a commercial version of our rack can have abottom fan tray that would have fans with wire grills and be applicablein most situations, a secure version can have an additional layer on theoutside containing offset baffles wherein the fans cannot be tamperedwith or easily splashed with liquids.

Likewise, a commercial version could have a single cam lock without asecurity collar or escutcheon and be acceptable for most situations. Thesecure version can have two cam locks with security collars and thestandard pivoting cam lever replaced with a custom double cam, thusallowing four points of contact for locking the cover of the cabinet.

As yet another example, the commercial version could have 2 U of spaceto allow patch panel rack mountable components in most situations,whereas the secure version could prevent using this space on the base sothat the secure cover of the rack can use the inside edges to align thecover and thus improve tamper resistance of the cover.

Finally, the rack can be designed to be assembled in an overlappingfashion which allows no exposed hardware throughout system with the lastpiece to be assembled being the first to be removed in sequence in Alockable cover, with double cams as set forth above. This feature wouldusually have no exposed mounting hardware, and nothing to disassemble.Thus it would not allow unauthorized access, damage or theft. In thisdesign the back plate or base can be mounted to a wall or two-post rack.The side brackets would slip into place, as discussed herein, secured inplace by screws, such as set screws in one example. The top cover lockswould slide through the front panel cut-outs, can fully enclose thespace, and can be secured with one or two locks as set forth above.

The rack has an optional fan in a fan tray, but can have convectioncooling with a vented bottom panel of the base, with vented upper sidesof the base if desired. There can be fans housed in the bottom of thepanel assembly of the base to force air in or out. There can also be aforced air fan assembly in the bottom panel assembly with an internalthermal switch for increased efficiency and fan life. A thermal sensorswitch can be mounted in side the rack cabinet and can turn on wheninternal temperature reaches a certain level and shut off when thetemperature drops to a predetermined level; such as, for example, 25degrees F. Thus the fan would run only when needed, increasing servicelife.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various aspects of the apparatus will now be described with reference tothe following figures, not necessarily drawn to scale.

FIG. 1 illustrates a standard component of electronic equipment that israck mounted in computer data centers.

FIG. 2 illustrates a prior art method of mounting standard componentshorizontally.

FIG. 3A illustrates an electronic component showing its dimensions.

FIG. 3B illustrates schematic view of an embodiment of our rack thatmounts standard components vertically.

FIG. 4A. is a front view of the base, or back panel, of our rack.

FIG. 4B illustrates a more secure version of the base of our rack.

FIG. 5 is a view of the base of our rack showing two-post mounting.

FIG. 6 is a view of the base of our rack showing mounting into 16 incheson center solid wood wall studs.

FIG. 7 is a view of our rack showing the brackets thereof.

FIG. 8A is a more detailed illustration of one embodiment of thebrackets of our rack.

FIG. 8B is an illustration of one manner of attaching brackets to ourrack.

FIG. 8C is an illustration of longer brackets attached to a secureversion of our rack.

FIG. 8D is an illustration showing the front panel of our rack, and amethod of its installation.

FIG. 8E is an illustration showing the top cover of our rack and amethod of its installation.

FIG. 8F is an illustration showing the combination of the front paneland the top cover in relationship to each other.

FIG. 8G is an illustration showing the locking relationship of those thefront panel and the top cover.

FIG. 8H is an illustration showing the back of the top cover andillustrates how flanges allow the top cover to mate with the backingplate.

FIG. 9 is an illustration of our rack with two components mountedvertically thereon, also showing the location of patch panels and sidecomponents.

FIG. 10A is a perspective illustration showing our rack in“back-to-back” relationship.

FIG. 10B is an illustration showing a side view of our rack in a“back-to-back” relationship.

FIG. 10C is a perspective illustration showing our rack in“back-to-back” relationship, also illustrating how the components andthe patch panels can be mounted on a rack by screws.

FIG. 11 shows an alternate embodiment of our panel with a front paneland top panel arranged to allow easier access to the components.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates a standard component of electronic equipment 1 thatis rack mounted in computer data centers. Typical data centers maximizerack cabinet density, and standard cabinets are 30 to 34 inches indepth. Cabinet housings have 1.75 inch unit spacing which conforms tothe component multiplier. Standard battery backup power supplies, as anexample, are 2 U high and 20-26 inches in depth.

FIG. 2 illustrates a typical prior art method rack for mountingcomponents of electronic equipment horizontally.

FIG. 3A illustrates a rack mountable component 1 that typically has adeep measurement of y inches, a height of x inches.

FIG. 3B shows the rack-mountable electronic component 1 verticallymounted on our rack 2. Rack 2 includes base 4 and brackets 7L and 7R.All parts of our rack can be made of 14 gauge steel. Component 1 ismounted vertically by the brackets or side panels 7L and 7R and can besecured by screws. The brackets or side panels of the rack are of lengthz which is shorter than the depth y of the rack-mountable component.Hence when the component 1 is mounted as shown, the square footage takenup by the rack with the component mounted is less than in typicalconfigurations used in the industry.

FIG. 4A shows a front view of the base, or back panel, 4 of our rack.Top access for data cable or power cable is seen at 6 a and 6 b.Built-in level 5 allows easy installation for single service personnel.Side panel 8 allows attachment of a 1 U or 2 U patch panel directlyinside the back panel without sacrificing any space in the mountingsurface of the side panels. Openings 10 and 12 allow ancillaryequipment, both rack and non-rack mountable, to be attached to the sidepanel by hanging or screwing onto the back panel. Large rear panelaccess, 14, which may be circular or of other configuration, allowspass-through cable routing in two-post back-to-back mountingapplications. Bridge lances 16 are incorporated into the rack to allowdata and power cable management for input and output wiring with top orbottom egress, as well as to facilitate service loops. A grounding stud18 is integrated into the base further assisting quick and convenientsystem installation. This provides a method for easily attaching theinstalled equipment to a building's earth ground system. The back-plateof the rack allows three mounting options. Holes A (both left and right,with right hole A hidden in the figure) accommodate toggle bolts formounting on block walls or an electrical panel. Slots B are centered at16 inches for allowing the base to be secured by screws that are screwedinto studs or other wood surfaces using #10 or other suitable screws.Holes C allow mounting to a two-post rack such as a standard two-postopen frame rack. Finally, the base has cutouts 13 on both sides of thebase that match location of tabs on brackets 7L and 7R as illustratedsubsequently in FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B.

FIG. 4B illustrates another, more secure, embodiment of the base of ourrack. This embodiment can incorporate certain of the features of FIG. 4Aand, in addition, is an elongated version with more secure features. Forexample, baffles 17 comprise a baffled air intake that can be on bothsides of the base or back plate for secure ventilation. This can workwith a temperature controlled fan tray assembly at the bottom of thebase, to be explained subsequently. Ancillary equipment such as a patchpanel or other equipment can be mounted, in the secure version, in the 4U-10 U (or other suitable dimension) bracket spaces, discussed above,which keeps the system secure.

FIG. 5 shows base 4 of the rack being mounted to a two-post (20, 22)computer rack. Both top and bottom of the two-post rack should besecured before loading our rack. The base can be installed using #12-24screws (24, 26) at the top using the integrated level 5 to locate theproper mounting pattern. Usually 10 screws are recommended for a fullpayload rating of our rack. The extended base 4 of FIG. 4B can be usedas well.

FIG. 6 shows mounting the base 4 into 16 inches on center wood (or otherappropriate material) wall studs 50, 52. The studs should be locatedbefore marking the top two locations for pilot holes. Pilot holes of0.150 inch, or other suitable dimension, can be drilled at the top usingthe integrated level 5 to locate the proper mounting pattern. One canbegin installing wood screws 24A, 26A in the pilot holes at the top andthen drill and install the remaining screws in the pattern. Ten screwsare recommended for full payload rating of the rack but any suitablenumber can be used.

Alternatively, the rack can be mounted to a cinder block or otherapproved hollow wall using hole pattern C shown in FIG. 4A. This isrecommended for high security applications.

For installation to an approved hollow wall, one would place the baseagainst the wall in the preferred location. Using the integrated level5, one would adjust the panel to level and then mark a minimum of thetwo top and bottom ½ inch or other suitable dimension clearance hole(hole C). The marked holes can be drilled and compression studs or otherassociated inserts can be applied as required. The base can be liftedand the bolts can hand tightened, with fender washers, most of the wayinto the stud and then all screws can be tightened. An approved hollowwall application is considered to be either a cinder block wall or NECtype ¾ inch plywood electrical panel backing using toggle bolts for asafely fully rated load of the rack.

For mounting on a block wall, ¼ inch by 3 inch toggle bolts can be usedto support the base of the rack. The hollow pocket in the block shouldbe located so that the toggle bolt can open properly to support theweight. Toggle bolt clearance hole can be ½ inch.

FIG. 7 illustrates brackets or side panels 7L, 7R that are attached tothe base 4 of the rack. The brackets can be marked in standard 1 U (1.75inch) spacing set horizontally instead of vertically for the typicalcabinet. The rack allows attachment of the brackets by hooking spacedspring tabs into cutouts or notches, both the tabs and the notches areshown in FIGS. 8A to 8C. The brackets can be made in sizes such as 4 U,6 U, and 8 U and typically use the same back-plate.

FIG. 8A shows brackets 7L and 7R. The illustration of bracket 7L showsits inside surface with tabs 9 running vertically, and bracket securityscrew hole 11. Bracket 7R is similar.

FIG. 8B shows a close up view of the bracket 7L being secured to base 4.Securing bracket 7R is done similarly. The base has cutouts 13 thatmatch the location of tabs 9 on bracket 7L. One bracket should beengaged on the base at a time, confirming that all tabs 9 are nestedinto cutouts or notches 13 on the base, and then slid down to fully setthe bracket. The clearance hole 11 in bracket 7L should align with athreaded hole 15 in the base or back plate. A screw such as a #12-24screw can be tightened through hole 11. Securing the opposite bracket 7Ris done in the same manner as described for bracket 7L.

FIG. 8C illustrates longer brackets 7L, 7R attached to a secure versionof our rack. A longer back panel can be used for a secure version of ourrack. Longer side brackets 7L and 7R can be used since the back panelcan accommodate all bracket sizes available, 4 U through 10 U,protecting the entire height of the rack. After engaging the tabs, aspreviously explained, two #12-24 safety screws can be installed throughholes 11A and 11B, installed much like element 11 in FIG. 8A and FIG.8B, through each side bracket. Patch panels, if desired to be used inthe secure version, can occupy hanging U space on the inside of brackets7L, 7R. Tamping the bracket down with a mallet can be advisable, takingcare to protect the finish of the rack from marring by using a cardboardbuffer while nesting the tabs. The brackets can have slots, here three,19A, 19B, and 91C, located on the front of each bracket firmly fittingfront panel hooks, to be described, which slide down to fully set thebracket. The front panel is secured at the top with two #12-24 screws.Slots or cutouts 21 located at the bottom of each bracket will allow afan tray, describe below, to slide in and be locked when the front panelis installed.

FIG. 8C also illustrates a fan tray, or fan assembly, 42, discussedbriefly above, that is sized to fit, and matched the U space of thebrackets and top cover from 4 U to 10 U cabinets, as one example. Thefan tray is aligned with fan grills and wiring facing up and slides intothe cutouts 21 at the bottom of each side bracket. The bottom of eachbracket 7L and 7R can have bracket 21B affixed thereto by welding orother suitable securing means, to enable the fan assembly to slideappropriately into position. Each fan tray is sized to fit and matchesthe U space of brackets and top cover from 4 U to 10 U cabinets. The fantray assembly has an AC input cord 37 and a temperature sensing module39 attached. The sensor can be mounted centrally on the back panel bysliding the tab into one of the convenient bridge lances or by using thesupplied Velcro® (Velcro is a trademark of Velcro Industries). The ACinput plug of the fan tray should be connected to an internal AC source,and a UPS output, (if available), is recommended. The fan tray issecured by attaching the front panel to the left and right side panelsof the cabinet as explained more fully in FIG. 8D.

FIG. 8D illustrates how the front panel is installed via hooks intothree slots, 19A through 19F, in the front of both side brackets. Slots19A and 19B are hidden in this figure but are seen in FIG. 8C. Next,front panel 23 slides downward until security screws 25, 27 can beinstalled through holes at the top of front panel into holes 27A and 27Bin each side bracket.

As seen in FIG. 8E, once the front panel 23 is secured, the top cover 31can be slid into place. The high security double cam locks 33A, 33Bshould be in the unlocked (horizontal) position. Otherwise the cams willnot fit through the clearance cutouts 35 in the front panel. It will berecognized by one or ordinary skill in the art that many modificationscan be made in the top cover-front cover design without departing fromthe spirit or scope of the invention. As just one example, while theillustrated top cover actually goes over the front cover with a lockmechanism on the top cover and the receptacle for the lock on the frontcover, one could modify the secure rack so that the top cover abuts thefront cover behind the front cover, with the lock mechanism on the frontcover and the lock mechanism receptacle on the top cover. So the lockmechanism associated with the top cover and the front cover could belocated on either the top cover or the front cover, depending on how onedesigns the abutment of those two covers.

FIG. 8F shows the combination of the front panel and the top cover inrelationship to each other. FIG. 8G shows the locking relationship ofthose two elements. FIG. 8H shows the back of the top cover andillustrates how the flanges 32A-32C allow the top cover to mate with thebacking plate.

Another alternate embodiment is seen in FIG. 11. In that embodiment, asecure combination front panel and top cover is provided, the frontpanel and top cover secured at the top. This can be equipped severalways wherein after installation and set up, access to the front face ofthe mounted equipment can be done without the dismantling of the topcover. One way uses two rails or front frame attaching in various ways,the ways being within one of skill in the art, to the front edges of theleft and right brackets. The frame can allow the bottom edge of thefront panel pivot points and a stop mechanism to keep the front panelfrom swinging too far, thus preventing injury to the assembler or theperson accessing the mounted equipment. The top edge of the front panelwill have contact points for allowing a pivoting top cover to swingforward and engage the back plate in a similar fashion as the designthat was described earlier, and be held in place with one or more lockson the front panel. When opening, the top cover can swing down and reston the front panel, as seen in dashed line format, allowing front accessto the mounted equipment.

FIG. 9 shows the rack loaded with two different types of rack-mountableequipment components, 1, 3 in space saving vertical arrangement. Patchpanels 34, 36 can be added at the top of the base. Power distributionunit 38 can be added on the side of the base. Cable management hooks 40can be added to the top or the side to manage cables such as CAT5cables.

FIG. 10A is a perspective illustration showing our rack in“back-to-back” relationship to show one of the space saving featuresdescribed above. Only the base or back plate is shown in FIG. 10A butthe reader will appreciate that the entire rack can then be built upfrom that, as described above.

FIG. 10B is an illustration showing a side view of our rack in a“back-to-back” relationship. FIG. 10C is a perspective illustrationshowing our rack in “back-to-back” relationship, also illustrating howthe components and the patch panels can be mounted on a rack by screws.

While the rack has been shown in a preferred embodiment, it would beobvious to one of ordinary skill in the art that variations andmodifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention. Various types of uninterruptible power supplies,automatic transfer switches, maintenance bypass panels, and variousother power-related products, could be included. Changes to physicaldimensions, increased power capability, alternative plugs and ports, andappropriate cord lengths can also be made. In addition, singularsystems, such as a UPS with SNMP, can be configured. Additionalmodifications can include redundant UPSS, automatic transfer switches,power distribution units, and other ancillary equipment.

We claim:
 1. A secure equipment rack for mounting at least one componenthaving mounting ears substantially coplanar with a component frontsurface, the front surface having a height dimension, and a widthdimension, the component having a depth dimension extending normal tothe front surface of the component, said equipment rack comprising: Asubcombination including: a back plate having a top, a bottom, andsides, said back plate capable of being mounted to a substantiallyvertical surface, said back plate capable of having brackets mountedthereto, at least one of said sides having baffles allowing air flow;two brackets each having a top and a bottom, and each capable of beingmounted to said back plate, each of said brackets, when mounted to saidback plate, having a horizontal dimension extending substantially normalto said back plate, said horizontal dimension being 10 U or less, saidbrackets for supporting said at least one component with said heightdimension substantially parallel to said horizontal dimension; ahorizontal fan assembly for mounting to the bottom of said brackets; afront cover for mounting to said subcombination for covering at leastthe front of said fan assembly and said brackets by fasteners; a topcover for covering at least the top of said subcombination; and alocking mechanism for locking said top cover to said front cover.
 2. Thesecure equipment rack of claim 1 wherein said substantially verticalsurface is a two-post rack.
 3. The secure equipment rack of claim 1wherein said substantially vertical surface is a wall.
 4. The secureequipment rack of claim 1 further including cable management bridgelances on said back plate for dressing and tying down cables.
 5. Thesecure equipment rack of claim 1 wherein the back plate includes anadditional 2 U or less of mounting space oriented substantially normalto the support surface of the two brackets.
 6. The secure equipment rackof claim 1 including a built-in level.
 7. The secure equipment rack ofclaim 6 wherein said built-in level is on said back plate.
 8. The secureequipment rack of claim 1 including a grounding stud.
 9. The secureequipment rack of claim 8 wherein said grounding stud is on said backplate.
 10. The secure equipment rack of claim 1 wherein said back plateincludes slots for allowing said back plate to be secured to woodsurfaces by fasteners.
 11. The secure equipment rack of claim 1 whereinsaid back plate includes holes for allowing mounting to a shallow wallby toggle bolts.
 12. The secure equipment rack of claim 1 wherein saidback plate includes holes for allowing said back plate to be mounted ona two-post rack by fasteners.
 13. The secure equipment rack of claim 1wherein said brackets include tabs and said back plate included cutouts,and said brackets are attachable to said back plate by nesting said tabsin said cutouts.
 14. A secure equipment rack for mounting at least onecomponent having mounting ears substantially coplanar with a componentfront surface, the front surface having a height dimension, and a widthdimension, the component having a depth dimension extending normal tothe front surface of the component, said secure equipment rackcomprising: A subcombination including: a back plate having a top, abottom, and sides, said back plate capable of being mounted to asubstantially vertical surface, said back plate capable of havingbrackets mounted thereto, at least one of said sides having bafflesallowing air flow; two brackets each capable of being mounted to saidback plate, each of said brackets having a surface oriented as a topsurface when mounted to said back plate, the top surface having ahorizontal dimension extending normal to said substantially verticalsurface, said horizontal dimension being 10 U or less, the combinationof said two brackets when mounted to said back plate capable of havingmounted thereto said component oriented with said height dimensionsubstantially parallel to said horizontal dimension of said top surface;a front cover for mounting to said subcombination for covering at leastthe front of a fan assembly and said brackets by fasteners; a top coverfor covering at least the top of said subcombination; and a lockingmechanism for locking said top cover to said front cover.
 15. A secureequipment rack capable of being mounted in back-to-back relationshipwith another secure equipment rack, each of said racks for mounting atleast one component having mounting ears substantially coplanar with acomponent front surface, the front surface having a height dimension,and a width dimension, the component having a depth dimension extendingnormal to the front surface of the component, wherein each of saidsecure equipment racks comprises a subcombination including (i) a backplate mountable on a substantially vertical surface, said back platehaving a top, a bottom and sides, said back plate capable of havingbrackets mounted thereto, and (ii) two brackets each capable of beingmounted to said back plate, each of said brackets having a surfaceoriented as a top surface when mounted to said back plate, the topsurface having a horizontal dimension extending normal to saidsubstantially vertical surface, said horizontal dimension being 10 U orless, at least one of said sides having baffles allowing air flow, thecombination of said two brackets, when said brackets are mounted to saidback plate, capable of having mounted thereto said component orientedwith said height dimension substantially parallel to said horizontaldimension of said top surface; a front cover for mounting to saidsubcombination for covering at least the front of a fan assembly andsaid brackets by fasteners; a top cover for covering at least the top ofsaid subcombination; and a locking mechanism for locking said top coverto said front cover.
 16. The combination of two secure equipment racksof claim 15 mounted to a rack in back-to-back relationship.
 17. A secureequipment rack capable of being mounted in back-to-back relationship toeach other, each of said racks for mounting at least one componenthaving mounting ears substantially coplanar with a component frontsurface, the front surface having a height dimension, and a widthdimension, the component having a depth dimension extending normal tothe front surface of the component, wherein each of said secureequipment racks comprises a subcombination including (i) a back platecapable of being mounted to a substantially vertical surface, said backplate having a top, a bottom and sides, at least one of said sideshaving baffles allowing air flow, said back plate capable of havingbrackets mounted thereto, and (ii) two brackets each capable of beingmounted to said back plate, each of said brackets, when mounted to saidback plate, having a horizontal dimension extending substantially normalto said back plate, said horizontal dimension being 10 U or less forsupporting said at least one component with said height dimensionsubstantially parallel to said horizontal dimension; a fan assembly formounting to the bottom of said brackets; a front cover for mounting tosaid subcombination for covering at least the front of said fan assemblyand said brackets by fasteners; a top cover for covering at least thetop of said subcombination; and a locking mechanism for locking said topcover to said front cover.
 18. The combination of two secure equipmentracks of claim 17 mounted to a rack in back-to-back relationship.
 19. Asecure equipment rack for mounting at least one component havingmounting ears substantially coplanar with a component front surface, thefront surface having a height dimension, and a width dimension, thecomponent having a depth dimension extending normal to the front surfaceof the component, said equipment rack comprising: A subcombinationincluding a back plate having a top, a bottom and sides, at least one ofsaid sides having baffles allowing air flow, said back plate capable ofbeing mounted to a substantially vertical surface; and two brackets eachmounted to said back plate, each of said brackets having a horizontaldimension extending substantially normal to said back plate, saidhorizontal dimension being 10 U or less, for supporting said at leastone component with said height dimension substantially parallel to saidhorizontal dimension; a fan for mounting to the bottom of said brackets;a front cover for mounting to said subcombination for covering at leastthe front of said fan assembly and said brackets by fasteners; a topcover for covering at least the top of said subcombination; and alocking mechanism for locking said top cover to said front cover. 20.Two secure equipment racks mounted to the same substantially verticalsurface in back-to-back relationship to each other, each of said racksfor mounting at least one component having mounting ears substantiallycoplanar with a component front surface, the front surface having aheight dimension, and a width dimension, the component having a depthdimension extending normal to the front surface of the component, eachof said equipment racks comprising A subcombination including (i) a backplate having a top, a bottom end sides, at least one of said sideshaving baffles to allow air flow, said back plate mounted to saidsubstantially vertical surface, and (ii) two brackets each mounted tosaid back plate, each of said brackets having a horizontal dimensionextending substantially normal to said back plate, said horizontaldimension being 10 U or less for supporting said at least one componentwith said height dimension substantially parallel to said horizontaldimension; a fan assembly for mounting to the bottom of said brackets; afront cover for mounting to said subcombination for covering at leastthe front of said fan assembly and said brackets by fasteners; a topcover for covering at least the top of said subcombination; and alocking mechanism for locking said top cover to said front cover.
 21. Asecure equipment rack capable of being mounted in back-to-backrelationship to each other, each of said racks for mounting at least onecomponent having mounting ears substantially coplanar with a componentfront surface, the front surface having a height dimension, and a widthdimension, the component having a depth dimension extending normal tothe front surface of the component, wherein each of said secureequipment racks comprises a subcombination including (i) a back platecapable of being mounted to a substantially vertical surface, said backplate having a top, a bottom and sides, at least one of said sideshaving baffles allowing air flow, said back plate capable of havingbrackets mounted thereto, and (ii) two brackets each capable of beingmounted to said back plate, each of said brackets, when mounted to saidback plate, having a horizontal dimension extending substantially normalto said back plate, said horizontal dimension being 10 U or less forsupporting said at least one component with said height dimensionsubstantially parallel to said horizontal dimension; a fan assembly formounting to the bottom of said brackets; a front panel and a top cover,said front panel and top cover fixedly mounted in swinging relationship,for fixedly covering said subcombination, and for opening to allowaccess to said at least one component.
 22. A method of providing asecure equipment rack for mounting at least one component havingmounting ears substantially coplanar with a component front surface, thefront surface having a height dimension, and a width dimension, thecomponent having a depth dimension extending normal to the front surfaceof the component, said method comprising: providing a back plate havinga top, a bottom and sides, at least one of said sides having bafflesallowing air flow, said back plate capable of being mounted to asubstantially vertical surface; and providing two brackets capable ofbeing mounted to said back plate, each of said brackets having ahorizontal dimension extending substantially normal to said back plate,said horizontal dimension being 10 U or less, for supporting said atleast one component vertically with said height dimension substantiallyparallel to said horizontal dimension; wherein said brackets having afan mounted to the bottom of said brackets; a front cover mounted tosaid back plate and brackets by fasteners, for covering at least thefront of said fan assembly and said brackets; a top cover for coveringat least the top of said back plate and said brackets; and a lockingmechanism for locking said top cover to said front cover.
 23. Theequipment rack of claim 1 wherein said back plate is capable of havingat least one second component mounted thereto substantiallyperpendicularly to said at least one component.
 24. The equipment rackof claim 14 wherein said back plate is capable of having at least onesecond component mounted thereto substantially perpendicularly to saidat least one component.
 25. The equipment rack of claim 19 wherein saidback plate is capable of having at least one second component mountedthereto substantially perpendicularly to said at least one component.26. A secure equipment rack for mounting at least one component havingmounting ears substantially coplanar with a component front surface, thefront surface having a height dimension, and a width dimension, thecomponent having a depth dimension extending normal to the front surfaceof the component, said equipment rack comprising: A subcombinationincluding a back plate having a top, a bottom and sides, at least one ofsaid sides having baffles allowing air flow, said back plate capable ofbeing mounted to a substantially vertical surface; and two brackets eachmounted to said back plate, each of said brackets having a horizontaldimension extending substantially normal to said back plate, saidhorizontal dimension being 10 U or less, for supporting said at leastone component vertically with said height dimension substantiallyparallel to said horizontal dimension; a fan for mounting to the bottomof said brackets; a front cover for mounting to said subcombination forcovering at least the front of said fan assembly and said brackets byfasteners; a top cover for covering at least the top of saidsubcombination; and a locking mechanism for locking said top cover tosaid front cover.
 27. A secure equipment rack for mounting at least onecomponent having mounting ears substantially coplanar with a componentfront surface, the front surface having a height dimension, and a widthdimension, the component having a depth dimension extending normal tothe front surface of the component, said equipment rack comprising: aback plate having a top, a bottom, and sides, said back plate capable ofbeing mounted to a wall, said back plate capable of having bracketsmounted at substantially right angles to said back plate and said wall,at least one of said sides having baffles allowing air flow; twobrackets each having a top and a bottom, each of said brackets capableof being mounted to said back plate at substantially right angles tosaid back plate and to said wall, each of said brackets, when mounted tosaid back plate, having a horizontal dimension extending substantiallynormal to said back plate, said horizontal dimension being 10 U or less,for supporting said at least one component with said height dimensionsubstantially parallel to said horizontal dimension; a fan assembly formounting to the bottom of said brackets; a front cover for mounting tosaid rack for covering at least the front of said fan assembly and saidbrackets by fasteners; a top cover for covering at least the top of saidrack; and a locking mechanism for locking said top cover to said frontcover.